Downing's Basement

Being a child of the 80’s and growing up in the 90’s, I got a chance take in many experiences with what became the era of videogames transitioning from the arcade into the household as part of our mainstream culture.
And one of the biggest moments from that time was when the console wars began and when those wars took console gaming to 3D in the mid 90’s. The N64 was my entry into the 3D era with Mario 64 as my new obsession!
Now, nearly 30 years later I am still enjoying the N64, but in a far different manner! For years I’ve been making the N64 into portable versions of itself through blood, sweat and F-Bombs! But now, I’m happy to announce that shortly, you to will be able make one with 95% less cursing!

WHAT (IS) AND WHAT’S (IN) THE KIT?

This kit is the culmination of nearly 16 years of console modding experience. With this particular project starting as a new, from-the-ground-up portable commission over two years ago, I knew I had something different as the final pieces came together. And this of course was the spark that re-ignited a passion project of mine that has successfully evaded me for well over a decade.

For the past year now, I’ve been in the works of refining and tweaking the design of my latest N64 Portable series, “The 5thGeN64”, into a comprehensive Do-It-Yourself Kit!

And with the help of GMANMODZ and AURELIO of 4 Layer Tech, I believe that this is the most modern and user friendly N64 mod to hit the market.

The kit includes everything from custom PCBs for all the very complicated components, to a 3D printed enclosure with laminated vinyl graphics and all the screws and clips needed to put it together. With a few exceptions…

A full packing list and info about non-included items can be found down in the FAQ section.

But aside from the build experience that went into making this kit, you will be getting something else to go along with it…

THE GUIDE

The guide is going to be your bible for this project and an extreme amount of time has gone into making it as straight forward as possible.

With over 95 steps in the process, every effort to capture every little detail of the build has been made. It will bring you through A to Z with clear and explicit instruction that takes 90% of the guess work out of the whole portable making experience!

But, this guide does assume you have a basic understanding of electronics and the tools required to work with them. So I ask that if you are new to this hobby, please do your homework and practice with a simpler electronics project first!

Now unfortunately, the kit only provides the bits and pieces needed to put together the kit itself, not the tools that are required to do so. If you’re starting out fresh, you will need to invest in tooling that allows you to work with small electronics.

TOOLS & CONSUMABLES

As I had mentioned before, not “everything” you need is included and certain tools and consumables will be required to make this happen. So, to take even more guess work out of the process, I’ve added a dedicated page of all the recommended parts/tools that I use or have used a variant off. Please check out the T&C page as well as the details about each item.

THE KICKSTARTER & FUTURE KITS

The Kickstarted finished off strong at 159% of goal back in August with the last of the backers receiving their kits in the last week of January 2026. Up next is to start prepping for the next batch, which will be up for Pre-Order in February, 2026.

I am currently working on a small online store where spare parts can be bought as well purchasing a full kit a I will have that linked here when it’s ready!

Now it’s worth noting that I’m only planning on making 100 kits max. I’m a small, one-man operation and I’m really just doing this as a hobby for fun and the Kickstarter has eaten up 20 of them!

The downside unfortunately is the new price point. The tariffs that hit me on this project were nasty and because I had to buy certain parts like the PCBs and Displays from over seas, they of course got hit the hardest and I have to compensate for that.

Rest assured I’ll do everything I can to keep the costs as low as possible, but this always has and always will, be a very expensive hobby which thanks to the powers that be, has become even more so!

FAQ

Q. WHAT IS “NOT” INCLUDED IN THE KIT?
A. The big one is the N64 Motherboard itself is not included. There are several reasons for this, but the biggest is volume availability and not wanting to test Nintendo’s already thin patience.
Basic electronics tools and consumables like solder are also not included, but as stated above, the Tools and Consumables page will get you going with everything you need.

CONTACT

If you have any additional questions or comments, or wish to be placed on the update mailing list, please fill out the form below and I’ll keep you up to date!